The reflections of the three central boats made for an interesting hour or two. The colours and tones are muted but the water is so still that it is almost a mirror reflection. In fact, if I turn it upside down …
… they look very much the same as the real boats!
I have worked at the hulls of each one. They may be painted black but age, reflected and natural light, introduce a variety of grey tones which create the shape of all those curves and angles. Darkening the background behind the first boat has allowed me to bring out the shiny surface of the long cabin.
The long thin format of the painting is playing games with my usual plan of attack. Uncertainty is uncomfortable and I haven’t worked out what is so strange about the “letterbox”. I trust that I will come up with a riposte soon.
It’s strange, isn’t it, to find that format can have such a disorientating effect. Not at all what we expect!